Dave Jones


While Dave is the also organising force behind Grand Union Jazz his bass playing in recent years has included Hejira - a Tribute to Joni Mitchell, Ronnie Scott’s Soul and Jazz Orchestra, Pete Cater Big Band, Way Out West Jazz Collective, Stefanos Tsourelis Trio, Tom Seals, Brandon Allen Groove Band, Jeremy Sassoon and Julian Costello. He has played with some of the finest jazz musicians in the UK such as Pete Long, Jacqui Dankworth, Frank Griffith and John Etheridge and also with visiting American artists such as Howard Levy. He has played alongside drummers Steve Gadd, Steve Smith and Keith Carlock and he is active in jazz education teaching regularly at Richmond Jazz School, International Summer Schools and Kingston University.

Dave also leads a classic nonet line up featuring some of the UK’s finest jazz musicians including Henry Lowther, Mark Armstrong, Nick Mills, Tony Woods, Tom Ridout, Chris Biscoe, John Turville, Tristan Mailliot plus various special guests including Brigitte Beraha, Demi Garcia Sabat on percussion and Mike Outram on guitar.

Playing and exploring the Nonet arrangements of great American writers such as Bob Hammer, Marty Paich and Frank Griffith provided the inspiration for the band while the experience of playing with Pete Cater Big Band, Ronnie Scott’s Soul and Jazz Orchestra, BBC Big Band and in formative days ‘Eurojazz' the European Community Youth Jazz Orchestra provided a unique perspective on writing for this the classic Nonet line up.

Dave’s writing is sophisticated and nuanced. Just when you think you know where he’s going, there is a change of texture or tempo, you do find yourself in an unexpected place and …. it’s beautiful!! … “ London Jazz News’.

Mark Lockheart


Mark Lockheart is one of the UK’s most distinctive and forward-thinking saxophonists and composers, celebrated for his fearless creativity and genre-defying collaborations. Whether leading ambitious orchestral jazz projects, reshaping Ellington for the 21st century, or blending electronics with acoustic improvisation, Lockheart has continually reimagined what British jazz can be. His recent albums — the critically acclaimed Dreamers (2022), which explored lush electronic soundscapes, Smiling (2024), featuring a 13-piece ensemble, and the upcoming trio album Shapeshifter (early 2026), which combines bass, drums, saxes and subtle electronics — are further examples of his creativity and ever-evolving musical vision.

These works build on a rich legacy of innovation that includes his landmark orchestral Days on Earth (2019) for jazz sextet and 30-piece orchestra, the meditative Salvator Mundi (2019) recorded at Temple Church in London with organist Roger Sayer, the award-winning Ellington in Anticipation (2013), and the creative trio Malija with Jasper Høiby and Liam Noble.

Lockheart first came to prominence with the pioneering big band Loose Tubes, before going on to shape the UK scene through projects such as Perfect Houseplants and the Mercury Prize-nominated Polar Bear. With Polar Bear, he recorded six ground-breaking albums over twelve years — including Held on the Tips of Fingers (Mercury nomination, 2005) and In Each and Every Way (Mercury nomination, 2013) — and the group also received a MOBO Award nomination in 2004. These recordings became touchstones of British jazz’s modern renaissance.

A collaborator of remarkable range, he has worked with Norma Winstone, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland, Seb Rochford, June Tabor, Django Bates, the NDR Big Band, Robert Wyatt, Radiohead, and Mark-Anthony Turnage, with whom he premiered major contemporary works such as About Water and Anna Nicole at the Royal Opera House.

He has also performed with and collaborated alongside an extraordinary range of composers and artists across genres, including Huw Warren, Nikki Iles, Laura Jurd, John Parricelli, John Paul Jones, John Pattitucci, Louis Stewart, Stereolab, Prefab Sprout, Thomas Dolby, Burt Bacharach, and even the likes of British icons Ronnie Corbett and Tommy Cooper!

Lockheart’s artistry has earned widespread recognition, including Jazz FM Instrumentalist of the Year (2016),Parliamentary Jazz Musician of the Year (2010), and the prestigious Paul Hamlyn Foundation Composer Award (2019). Through his writing, performing, and collaborations, he continues to bridge jazz, classical, and electronic worlds — confirming his place as one of Britain’s most imaginative and influential musical voices.

Martin Shaw


Martin was born into a family of musicians, both his mother and father being very accomplished pianists and he began piano lessons at the age of 9 and started studying the trumpet at the age of 11. From the age of 15 he spent three years as a member of The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and susbsequently gained a place at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 1989 he was invited to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston USA returning to London to continue his studies at The Guildhall School of Music.

Early in his career he was a member of both Duncan Lamont's and Michael Garrick's Big Bands going on to work with many jazz artists including Stan Tracey, Cleo Laine, John Dankworth, Pete King, John Horler, Dick Morrissey, Guy Barker, Kenny Wheeler, Phil Woods, Michel Legrand, Patti Austin and Kurt Elling to name but a few.

He is currently a member of the BBC Big Band and Guy Barker's Big Band while also being in demand for session and television work and still finding the time to perform with classical ensembles and West End Musicals. He was a member of the pop band Jamiroquai for 6 years and has also recorded, performed live and toured extensively with various pop artists including Sting, Natalie Cole, Paul Young, Alison Moyet, Jools Holland, Swing Out Sister, Gorrilaz, Brand New Heavies, Billy Ocean and Percy Sledge.

Martin is an excellent jazz pianist and teacher, in 2001 he was appointed professor of jazz trumpet at the Birmingham Consertatoire and currently has teaching posts at The Royal College of Music and West London University.

John Turville


John Turville has developed a reputation as ‘one of the leading jazz pianists of his generation’ (Ian Mann). He has performed at clubs and festivals throughout the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Africa with artists as diverse as Tim Garland, Ola Onabule, Gilad Atzmon, Yuri Golubev Trio, Matt Ridley Quartet, Transtango, El Ultimo Tango, and the London Tango Orchestra.

John has recorded five albums as a leader, which have won multiple awards including ‘Best Album’ in the Parliamentary Awards, the PRS Promoter’s Choice Award, and ‘Best instrumentalist’ prize in the inaugural London Jazz Awards. His most recent album ‘Head First’ featured the renowned saxophonist Julian Argüelles, and received 4 and 5 star reviews in the UK and European press. He has also recorded over 30 albums as a sideman with various jazz, tango and crossover projects.
 
Besides performing, John is also an experienced composer, writing for his own groups and receiving commissions to write original music for Transtango, Living Room in London and the Almagro Ensemble.

John is the principal jazz piano tutor at Birmingham Conservatoire, the Purcell and Yehudi Menuhin music specialist schools, and has led workshops and taught at a number of international summer schools, including ‘Concertato’ (Capri), the Saarwellingen International Jazz Academy, the Piano Week festival and the Dartington International Summer School. He has also been on the audition panel for Help Musicians UK and Trinity Laban.